ASK THE STEELERS – RYAN MUNDY – PART 2

Steelers.com brings you the Ask the Steelers feature. Fans submitted the questions that were asked. Please understand that we receive an incredible number of questions for each player, with many of the questions being similar, and not all of the questions can be answered. We selected as many as possible, and took your questions to the current subject to get your answers.

From Elijah Snipes in Frederick, Maryland: You were a wide receiver in high school.  Does that help you as a defensive back?
Ryan Mundy: It does but that was so long ago. I kind of put those days behind me. It does help you out because you get the mindset of a wide receiver and in some circumstances it does help to have an offensive background.

From Patrick McGough, Woodland Hills, Pennsylvania: How did playing at Woodland Hills High help you get ready for Michigan, West Virginia and now the NFL?

Ryan Mundy: I think it gave me a huge advantage. In high school we were one of the better programs in Pittsburgh, the state and even nationally. It gave me a great jump going to Michigan as far as understanding defensive schemes and preparation physically with weight lifting and conditioning. It gave me a heads up when I went to Michigan and trickled down through my college career.

From Sean Eckenrod in Eldersburg, Maryland: Do you feel your experience learning new defense on the fly will give you an edge?

Ryan Mundy:  It will. I feel like I have a high football IQ. Learning new stuff isn’t that hard for me. The Steelers defense is not too different from the defense I ran at Michigan. I am picking that stuff back up again. I had to learn a new defense at West Virginia, but everything is coming back to me now and I should be fine.

From George Wrigley in Detroit, Michigan: How close were you and LaMarr Woodley in college and is he someone who has already stepped up to help you out in your adjustment?
Ryan Mundy: LaMarr was one of my best friends in college. It was me, LaMarr, my roommate Leon Hall and his roommate Jerome Jackson. We were practically inseparable. When we moved out of the dorms our apartments were right next door to each other. LaMarr is one of my best friends from Michigan. As far as the adjustment he is helping me out, but he is giving me room to grow and learn things on my own. The situation is a little different from me because I am from Pittsburgh. But LaMarr is always going to be one of my good friends.
 

From David Cavanaugh in San Diego, California: Do you think transferring to West Virginia was a positive move for you?
Ryan Mundy:  Definitely. It gave me a fresh start. Sometimes people need fresh starts and it definitely worked out not only in my favor but in West Virginia’s favor. We had a great season and capped it off with a great bowl victory against Oklahoma.

From Mary James in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Is the Pitt-West Virginia rivalry as intense on the field as it is with the fans?
Ryan Mundy:  It definitely is, but the fans get carried away. On the field it is definitely an intense battle, especially this past year because we had a lot at stake. We had the chance to play for a national championship but unfortunately we lost. It was definitely intense on that field.

From Paul Callahan in Dallas, Texas: Have you ever played at Heinz Field in front of the hometown crowd?

Ryan Mundy: I actually played in Three Rivers Stadium. I played in the last high school game played there my sophomore year. We played against Mt. Lebanon in the WPIAL High School Championship. The following two years I played at Heinz Field. We played Central Catholic my junior year and North Hills my senior year in the WPIAL Quad A championship. We won both of those games, but lost at Three Rivers my sophomore year.